Congresswoman apologizes for quoting Alice Walker; condemns antisemitism

Walker has caused many controversies with her virulently antisemitic views. Her latest expression of these views came in mid-December, when she recommended "And the Truth Shall Set You Free" by Icke.

By URI BOLLAG
Democratic Congresswoman Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley (photo credit: WIKIPEDIA)
Democratic Congresswoman Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley
(photo credit: WIKIPEDIA)
Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley apologized on Twitter Monday, for quoting Alice Walker in support of fellow congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, saying she "condemn(s) and denounce(s) anti-Semitism, prejudice and bigotry in all their forms."
The newly sworn-in Democratic congresswoman tweeted the headline of Walker's book "Hard times require furious dancing" last week, in support of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, after a video of Ocasio-Cortez dancing in her time in college unearthed and turned into a news item.
Walker has caused many controversies with her virulently antisemitic views. Her latest expression of these views came in mid-December, when the author was featured in The New York Times' “By the Book” column. She said she was reading and recommending "And the Truth Shall Set You Free" by David Icke.
The book is a known antisemitic tract, which denies the Holocaust and claims Jews are to blame for antisemitism, among other conspiracy theories.
In her tweet on Monday, Pressley wrote that the Color Purple had deep meaning for her, but "Unfortunately, I was unaware of the author’s past statements."
Pressley stated "I fully condemn and denounce anti-Semitism, prejudice and bigotry in all their forms - and the hateful actions they embolden."
"I appreciate my friends, including my brothers and sisters in the Jewish community, who brought these statements to my attention," the congresswoman added.